Elizabeth I Dancing with Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester Philip Stubbs, the Puritan pamphleteer, in his Anatomie of Abuses (1582-3) had little good to say about dancing unless men and women were dancing separately to the glory of God, following the example of King David. He described it as 'an introduction to whordom, a preparatiue … Continue reading A Horrible Pestiferous Vice or Wholesome Exercise? – Dancing in Elizabethan England
Music
A Christmas Season
In many parts of the English speaking world Christmas begins with decorations hoisted and songs blaring out in shopping centres from late November. The weeks leading up to Christmas are party time and often Christmas is over by 26th December with the well organized dismantling the tree on this day. It is followed by a … Continue reading A Christmas Season
The Feast of the Holy Innocents
On 28th December, in the midst of Christmas and New Year celebrations, sits the Feast of the Holy Innocents, also called Childermas. This day commemorates the massacre of boys aged under two ordered by King Herod to ensure the death of the newborn King of the Jews whose existence he had been made aware of … Continue reading The Feast of the Holy Innocents
Van Diemen’s Land
Like so many traditional songs there are a number of versions of Van Diemen's Land. Apart from various musical interpretations, there are a variety of lyrics depending on the country of origin of the singer, England or Ireland. The earliest published lyrics can be found in the Launceston Examiner of 21 Nov 1939 (p.2, c1). … Continue reading Van Diemen’s Land
Marvellous Melbourne
It is amazing the gems that can be found courtesy of google. This is a film by Charles Cozens Spencer called 'Marvellous Melbourne (Australia): Queen City of the South'. The music accompanying it is 'Mock Morris" by Melbourne's Percy Grainger. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvqFnfA76zA I don't think the film does justice to Australia's own game of football so … Continue reading Marvellous Melbourne
World’s Oldest Music?
This is thought to be the world's oldest written musical notation. Below is an interpretation of the song by Michael Levy, a musician,composer and researcher of ancient music. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBhB9gRnIHE If you click through to YouTube there is a detailed analysis of the music and the history of the tablets it is written on.
Over the Hills and Far Away
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOeYPpOblAw I first discovered this song when rounding out the information I had on my great great grandfather William Reader. Born at Staplehurst, Kent in 1822, he enlisted in the 96th Regiment of Foot in December 1842 and with in six months has been shipped out to Van Diemen's Land on garrison duty. The song … Continue reading Over the Hills and Far Away
The Lowest Trees
When I am writing I often listen to music, particularly that of the period I am writing about. I believe the need for music is innate in humans. Up until the present time ordinary people have constantly created music whether it a mother singing a lullaby to a child, a family singing around the piano, … Continue reading The Lowest Trees
